Japanese Go Terms

Some Japanese Go terms often used in English are listed under Go Terms. This is an extensive glossary with Romanisations, literal translations, brief meanings and kanji/kana on 700+ entries. Also serves as an index page, with hyperlinks on nearly all entries.

Kuromochi, Kuronori (short forms of Kuro wo mochitai = like to have Black and Kuro ni noritai = like to bet on Black. Express subjective judgment of the position) - 黒持ち, 黒乗り Note: For other expressions for evaluation, see appendix below.

Kuro no Go (a good Black player, usually an attacking player who can maximize the first move advantage) - 黒の碁

Shiromochi, Shironori (short forms of Shiro wo mochitai = like to have White and Shiro ni noritai = like to bet on White. Express subjective judgment of the position) - 白持ち, 白乗り Note: For other expressions for evaluation, see appendix below.

Shiro no Go (good player as White, usually a solid and good endgame player who rely on komi to win) - 白の碁

Yousu wo miru {verb} ('see the attitude') - ようすを見る Note: A similar expression Yousu wo kiku ようすを聞く ('hear' the attitude) is sometimes used for a more forceful move against which more than one reply is possible.